Conventional pagers receive selective call messages, i.e., pages, transmitted by a selective call terminal. A pager alerts a user when a selective call message addressed to the pager has been received, and, if the pager utilizes an output device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), the user may read the message. Because the user may desire to carry a pager during certain times of the day, the pager may incorporate a belt clip, whereby the user may secure the pager to an article of clothing such as a belt or a pocket. If the pager, however, utilizes an LCD to present the message to the user, the user may be unable to read the message, due to the typically small size of the LCD, while the pager is secured to his belt. Under such a circumstance, the user might need to remove the pager from his belt to bring the pager LCD into his line of vision in order to read each message received by the pager. To circumvent this problem, conventional pagers may be placed within holsters which incorporate a belt clip which is typically fastened to a belt or other article of clothing. Preferably, the user avoids having to unfasten the belt clip from his belt every time he desires to read a message by simply sliding the pager from the holster.
Conventional holsters secure the pager within the holster in a number of ways. Some conventional holsters incorporate a user adjustable restraining strap that is fastened around the pager by means such as a buckle or snap to secure the pager within the holster. Other conventional holsters are designed to rigidly surround the pager tightly enough to secure the pager, yet are flexible enough so that the pager may be forced into and out of the holster by the user. Still other holsters have a retaining element that surrounds the pager and is deflected by the force of the user inserting or removing the pager from the holster. When the pager is inside the holster, the retaining element shifts back into a position surrounding the pager that prevents the pager from being removed from the holster without the application of sufficient force by the user.
Although holsters incorporating restraining straps do not require the use of force to insert or remove the pager, the user must manipulate the fastening of the strap to access or secure the pager. In this case, the user must not only insert the pager into the holster, but also perform the additional operation of securing the pager in the holster by tightening and fastening the restraining strap. In order to read a received message, it may become tedious and time consuming for a user to remove a pager having a restraining strap from the holster.
As to non-strap holsters, the force needed to insert or remove a pager from a conventional rigid holster is dependent upon the design of the holster. Each holster thereafter manufactured according to the design of a specific holster will have substantially the same material properties and will need substantially the same amount of force to insert or remove the pager from the holster. The user has no control of the tension holding the pager within the holster and no means for adjusting the tension. This could inconvenience a user who receives an inordinate number of messages and may wish to remove the pager from the holster more easily than dictated by the design specifications of the holster. Conversely, a user could lose a pager which requires too little force to secure the pager within the holster.
Thus, what is needed is a holster having user adjustable retaining characteristics.